Donald Trump accused of using over $250,000 from his charity to settle legal battles

The Republican candidate is under increasing scrutiny regarding his charitable foundation

Mr Trump bought a signed NFL helmet and two portraits of himself with money from the foundation (AP)

Donald Trump allegedly used over a quarter of a million dollars from his charitable foundation to benefit himself and his business, according to legal documents.

In 2007, for example, the real estate mogul was ordered to cut a cheque for $100,000 to a charity for military veterans as part of a settlement over the size of a flagpole at his Mar-a-Lago resort. Mr Trump took the money from the charitable foundation to foot the bill, according to the Washington Post

The news comes as the New York attorney general is investigating whether the foundation, managed by Mr Trump and his children, broke state charity laws.

Another alleged instance was when he wrote a cheque for $158,000 from his foundation to be given to another charity of the plaintiff's choice in a settlement surrounding one of the politician's golf courses in New York.

In 2012, $12,000 was spent on a NFL helmet, signed by player Tim Tebow, according to the report.

The newspaper reported that Mr Trump spent $5,000 of the charity’s money in 2013 to buy adverts for his chain of hotels.

The next year, $10,000 of taxpayers’ money was used to buy a portrait of himself at a fundraiser event. The purchase came several years after the presidential candidate spent $20,000 from the Trump Foundation to buy another six-foot-tall portrait of himself.

These cases could violate the laws surrounding “self-dealing”, the Post reported.

Neither the Trump campaign nor the New York state attorney general’s office could be reached immediately for comment.

The Trump Foundation was formed in 1987 and for many years the Republican was its sole donor. He spends half an hour per week working on the foundation and last made a donation in 2008.

The Washington Post previously discovered that Mr Trump had been soliciting donations from the likes of pro-wrestling executives, Vince and Linda McMahon, to cut cheques for other charities under his own name.

He also used public funds to pay $25,000 to a political group affiliated with Florida attorney general Pam Bondi, at the same time as she was considering whether to investigate claims surrounding the Trump University. Ms Bondi’s office did not purse the investigation.

After the story broke, Mr Trump was ordered to pay $2,500 penalty tax and reimburse the foundation with $25,000.